Two fluid gun jet



April 23, 1968 R. P. WILLIAMS ETAL 3,379,376

I TWO FLUID GUN JET Filed oct. 196e United States Patent O 3,379,376 TWO FLUID GUN JET Robert P. Williams, Glen Ellyn, and Richard G. Plggott,

Bellwood, lll., assignors to Spraying Systems Co., a corporation of Illinois Filed Get. 3, 1966, Ser. No. 583,598 8 Claims. (Cl. 239-142) The present invention relates generally to spraying equipment, and more particularly to improvements in apparatus for mixing and dispensing different fluids in atomized form.

Present day commercial insecticides are available in highly concentrated form. Accordingly, pre-mixing of the concentrate is often required prior to use. Certain of the insecticides are of an oily base composition and water 1s recommended as a carrier for the dispersion of the composition. Since characteristically, oil and water do not mix, preparation of such insecticides for dispersion results in an emulsion. In some cases, an invert emulsion is desirable. By this it is meant that the oily concentrate forms a iilm about the outside of a water droplet rather than water forming about the oily droplet as might be expected. In this manner, the water acts as a carrier for the oily insecticide.

In many cases, it is possible to dilute the concentrate material prior to dispensing the same through an atomizing spray gun. This is also possible when employing the beforementioned oily base insecticide with a water carrier. ln the latter instance, agitation of the oily base material in water will bring about a reasonably good invert emulsion. It has been found, however, that such emulsions are dicult to pump from a reservoir to, for example, a spray gun.

ln still other instances, the base material and diluting medium may be chemically active, and pre-mixing is impractical, and in some cases, impossible until immediately prior to dispersion.

It is an object, therefore, of the present invention, to provide an improved spray gun for mixing a plurality of uids just prior to dispensing them.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved multiple fluid mixing device for accomplishing the intimate association of a plurality of liuids in an exact predetermined proportion immediately prior to the dispersion of the resultant mixture through an atomizing spray tip or the like.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide improved apparatus for the intermixing of a plurality of fluids behind the spray tip of a spray gun in such a manner that, where the intermixed liuids are mutually soluble, a completely homogenous fluid is provided, and in those instances where the fluids are immiscible, such as where an oil base insecticide is ymixed with a water carrier, the apparatus f the present invention provides an intimate colloidal disbursement of uniform concentration throughout prior to ejection from the spray nozzle. It is au object, related to the foregoing, to provide improved spray gun arrangement which is capable of forming an invert emulsion immediately prior to dispersion of the same.

Still another object of the invention is to provide mixing in a determina-ble ratio, which may be readily adjusted at the instance ofthe user.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention, taken in conjunction with the drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation, partially sectioned, of a spray gun constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial section of the proportioning and mixing apparatus, taken along lines 2-2 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is an enlarged section of an exemplary metering plug.

While the invention is susceptible of various modifications and alternative constructions, a particular embodiment which is illustrative of the invention has been shown in the drawing and will be described below in considerable detail. It will be understood, that the illustrated embodiment is exemplary only, and there is no intention to limit the invention to the specific form disclosed. On the contrary, the invention covers all reasonable modifications, alternative constructions and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

With reference to the drawing, and particularly to FIG. 1 thereof, a spray gun is identified generally at 10 and broadly includes a handle structure 12, a trigger 14, and a mixing and dispensing assembly 16.

It will be specifically understood that the particular form of the spray gun is of no consequence, the essence of the invention being the application of a novel multiple fluid mixing and metering arrangement to known spray equipment.

The handle portion 12 comprises an integrally cast member which includes a gripping portion 20, a shoulder 22, and an outwardly extending bridge which terminates in a cantilevered supporting ring 26.

The illustrated handle coniiguration will be recognized as being of known construction, and pivotally mounts a trigger 2S by a pin 30 which is pressed into the bridge 24- at some convenient point. A second pin 33 passes through the trigger at a point below, and Somewhat forwardly of the pin 30, as seen in FIG. l to provide good leverage. The pin 33 engages the forked end 35 of a reciprocable valve assembly 37 in such a manner that squeezing of the trigger 28 will cause the valve 37 to reciprocate.

The valve assembly mounts within a sleeve 40, which forms a part of a larger inlet body or block 42 of the device. The sleeve 40 extends rearwardly from the main inlet body and passes through the ring 26 where it is fastened by means of a locking nut 45 to thereby secure the same with respect to the handle l2, of the spray gun. A valve guide member 47, which forms a part of the valve assembly 37 is screwed into the sleeve and supports the valve body S0 for limited reciprocal movement therem.

Still referring to Fig. l, it will be seen that the spray gun is equipped with a safety lock mechanism of known construction. Specifically, a knurled ring 51 is mounted on a rod 52 which passes into the shoulder 22 of the handle. The ring 5l is provided with a groove 55, and is movable, either forwardly or rearwardly, by rotation thereof. A locking member 57 is disposed for limited pivotal movement about the pin 33, and is swingable to a position where the locking tip 59 is engageable in the groove 55 to thereby hold the trigger in a particular desired position.

The fluid to be dispersed is supplied to the mixing and dispensing assembly under suitable pressure, which may be as high as 200 p.s.i. through an inlet litting such as that shown at 64. A spring loaded ball type check valve of known construction is conveniently provided within the fitting 64 to minimize leakage of fluid into the inlet body when pressure on the iluid in the line is relieved below a certain minimum pressure as determined by the force of the spring employed behind the ball in the check valve. The check valves also perform the valuable function of preventing inter-mixing of the liquid mediums involved which could result through imbalance of pressure in the respective fluid lines leading to the gun.

The inlet block 42 is conveniently, `although not necessarily, formed of aluminum, and by virtue of the novel arrangement hereinprovided, is readily drilled to provide the necessary chambers and passages'with a minimum of special machining. The inlet passages 66 are readily formed, in the exemplary embodiment, by drilling holes to a proper depth from the bottom, as seen in FIG. 2, and counterboring and tapping to provide inlet ports 68.

The inlet fitting 64 is conveniently threaded into inlet ports 68, and with reference to FIG. 2, and in keeping with the invention wherein 'a plurality of uids are intermixed, it will be noted that two such ports are provided. It will also be appreciated that additional inlet ports may well be provided Without departure from the invention.

Again referring to FIG. 2, the inlet ports 68 communicate with inlet passages 66 which extend upwardly, as seen in FIG. 2, directly from the ports 68. A transverse bore 70 is next provided, and extends from side to side of the inlet block 42. The bore 70 is preferably located in the plane of the bores 66 and intersects them at approximately right angles. The bore 70 is then counterbored as at 72 from either end, and each counterbore is tapped, as at 74. A mixing and metering chamber is provided at 80. Referring to FIG. 1, it will be seen that this chamber comprises a bore extending through the sleeve 40 of the inlet block to a point just forwardly, as seen in FIG. l, of the transverse bore '70. In keeping with the invention, and for the purpose of providing proper mixing, the chamber is so located that the bore 70 intersects the same tangent to the upper circumference thereof. Thus, iiuid communication is provided between the ports 66 and the chamber 80.

Referring to FIG. l, it will be seen that a valve head 82, in this instance preferably constructed of Tetion, is inserted in the valve body 50. The valve head is tapered, as at 84, to t the taper 86 pf the forward end of the chamber. The valve is adapted to open and close the orifice 88which leads to the passage 90 directly behind the spray tip, which is not here illustrated.

With pressure applied to separate tiuid lines fitted to the inlet fitting 64, squeezing of the trigger 28 will retract the valve 84 to open the orifice 88 and fluid will be forced through the ports 68, the passages 66. In order to properly direct fluid from passages 66 into the bore 70, the open ends of the bore 70 are closed by caps 93 and 95 which are screwed into the tapped portion 84 of the counterbore 72 in the transverse passage 70. The caps are of such length that they extend to a position approximating the inter-section between the counterbore 72 and the passages 66. In this manner, there is no blockage of the passage and fluid is permitted to pass through the counterbore 72 and into the chamber 80 through the bore 70.

It is a feature of the invention that, by virtue of the particular alignment of the bore 70 with respect to the chamber 80, fluid from the ports 68 meet, in the illustrated embodiment, at the top center of the chamber in a head-on collision, which results in substantial turbulence within the chamber 80. The introduction of the fluids in direct opposition, and tangent to the peripheral wall of the chamber, as shown in FIG. 2, further results in a whirling turbulence within the chamber as the result of the different masses of the uid and the volumes being introduced as a result of the proportioning characteristics of the invention. The direct impingement of the fluids on one another, and the whirling turbulence `can result in immediate inter-mixing of the respective fluids, and in the case of the oily base material, an invert emulsion of the desired characteristic is formed. The turbulence is of sutcient magnitude to provide excellent intermixing of the tiuids. As a consequence, the mixture, or emulsion as the case may be, proceeds towards the orifice 88 and is there dispersed in the desired predetermined fashion.

Still another important aspect of the present invention, is the capability of proportioning of the liuids introduced so as to bring about a predetermined composition of the fluid passing through the orifice 88. This is accomplished,

in accordance with the present invention, by use of a novel metering plug such as that illustrated in FIG. 3, and identified generally at 100. The plug 100 is cylindrical and has an elongated shank 102 which terminates in a shoulder 103 emanating from a head portion 104. The caps 93 and 95 respectively are bored out at 105 to accommodate the shank 102 in tight fitting relation with the shoulder abutting the end of the cap. .Each plug is provided with a transverse cut 106 which extends for the greater portion of the length of the plug, and when the plug is inserted in one of the caps such as cap of FIG.

2, the cut extends at least far enough to provide an un-iV restricted opening with the counterbore 74 and thus the passage 66. In order to assure against leakage of the uid, an O-ring seal 108 is provided about the head 104 to thereby seal the forward port of the plug in the counterbore 72.

A metering orifice 110 is drilled in a cr'oss wall defined by the head of the plug. The orifice communicates with the cut 106, thereby completing uid communication between the passage 66 and the bore 70. It will be understood that the orifice 110 may be drilled to any desired size, and that the size of that orice will determine the volumetric ow of fluid through the passage 66 which is in communication therewith. Accordingly, any desired ratio of fluids may be achieved by inserting a metering plug of desired capacity in one of the caps, such as 95, and leaving the other cap empty, as shown at 93. Thus, one of the passages remains in a full open. position and the other is reduced by the volumetric flow potential of the plug inserted in the cap on that particular side. A metering orifice may be utilized in both end caps 95 and 93 at the same time to control the volumetric flow through passage 88 and also accomplish any desired ratio of fluids at the same time. It is apparent that the ratio of liuids injected into the chamber 80 is thus precisely controlled.

By the use of structure as herein illustrated, two or more fluids may be intimately intermixed just prior to dissemination to a spray nozzle in any desired proportion and with a high degree of uniformity.

We claim as our invention:

1. For use with a spray gun or the like, a uid inlet block secured to said spray gun, a mixing chamber in said inlet block, a plurality of passages in said block, communicating with said chamber, said passages being disposed in coaxial alignment on opposite sides of said chamber and tangent to the periphery thereof so that fluid passing through said passages enters said chamber in direct opposition so as to create turbulence therein for mixing the fluids, and a valve operable to provide fluid communication between said chamber and a spray orifice.

y2. The arrangement as set forth in claim 1 `wherein said inlet passages comprise a bore passing through said inlet block transverse to, and in tangential communication with, said mixing chamber, and caps being fitted in the open ends of said bore to thereby direct fluid from said passages through said bore and into said mixing chamber.

The apparatus as set forth in claim 2 wherein means is provided in said bore, on one side of said chamber, for restricting the ow of uid therethrough to thereby provide metering of the fiuids into said chamber in the predetermined ratio.

4. The apparatus as set l,forth in claim 3 wherein a metering orifice is provided in said bore, on one side of said chamber for metering fluid passing to said chamber from said bore in a predetermined ratio.

5. The apparatus as set forth in claim 3 'wherein a metering plug is provided, said plug being transversely disposed in said bore, and having a transverse wall therein, said wall defining a metering orifice of predetermined slze.

6. The apparatus as set forth in claim 3 wherein said caps define an opening therein, and a metering plug is provided, said plug having a shank portion adapted to 5 fit in said opening, an opening in said plug aligned with said pass-age ,when said cap is in place in said bore, said plug having a cross wall disposed in said bore, and dening lan orifice in said cross wall for restricting ow of fluid through said bore to thereby provide va predetermined r-atio of fluids in said mixing chamber.

7. -The arrangement as set forth in claim 6 wherein said plug is pre-ss fitted in said cap, and means is provided on the periphery of said plug for sealing the same in said bore against uid passage `thereby.

I8. The arrangement as set forth in claim 6 wherein said bore is enlarged at the terminal ends thereof, and

6 said plug is formed ywith a slot therein to thereby provide communication ybetween said passage and the metering orice -in said plug.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS lo M. HENSON WOOD, JR., Primary Examiner.

H. NA'ITER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. FOR USE WITH A SPRAY GUN OR THE LIKE, A FLUID INLET BLOCK SECURED TO SAID SPRAY GUN, A MIXING CHAMBER IN SAID INLET BLOCK, A PLURALITY OF PASSAGES IN SAID BLOCK, COMMUNICATING WITH SAID CHAMBER, SAID PASSAGES BEING DISPOSED IN COAXIAL ALIGNMENT ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID CHAMBER AND TANGENT TO THE PERIPHERY THEREOF SO THAT FLUID PASSING THROUGH SAID PASSAGES ENTERS SAID CHAMBER IN DIRECT OPPOSITION SO AS TO CREATE TURBULENCE THEREIN FOR MIXING THE FLUIDS, AND A VALVE OPERABLE TO PROVIDE FLUID COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SAID CHAMBER AND A SPRAY ORIFICE. 